Broadcasting receiving apparatus and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

Provided is a broadcasting receiving apparatus and a control method thereof capable of receiving recommendation information, the control method of a broadcasting receiving apparatus receiving recommendation information about a broadcasting program; comparing a time of confirming the recommendation information and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information; and supplying a function of the broadcasting receiving apparatus for using the recommendation information to correspond to a comparison result. Accordingly, a broadcasting receiving apparatus and a control method thereof capable of supplying a broadcasting service having an improved user convenience is provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/616,580, filed on Nov. 11, 2009, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, now allowed, which claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0125455, filed on Dec. 10, 2008 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a broadcasting receiving apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a broadcasting receiving apparatus and a control method thereof capable of receiving recommendation information.

Description of the Related Art

A broadcasting receiving apparatus is an apparatus which processes an input image signal to be displayed, and includes a set top box which processes a broadcasting signal supplied from a broadcasting station to be displayed, a television receiver which receives and displays an external image signal such as a broadcasting signal, a digital versatile disk, etc.

Recently, as digital broadcasting is introduced, the broadcasting receiving apparatus may previously confirm information about a program broadcasted in each channel by using an electronic program guide (EPG) information supplied from a broadcasting station. Also, as an internet communication is developed, the broadcasting receiving apparatus may receive a broadcasting signal through a ground wave, a cable, etc., and concurrently, may be connected to a communication network to enable a two way communication, or may receive various contents from a service supplying server through an internet protocol (IP) based network to supply to a user.

According to a display environment enabling the two way communication, users may recommend a broadcasting program or contents to other users, and it is necessary to improve a user convenience so that the broadcasting receiving apparatus can receive this recommendation information to satisfy various demands of the users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a broadcasting receiving apparatus and a control method thereof capable of supplying a broadcasting service having an improved user convenience.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing a control method of a broadcasting receiving apparatus, including: receiving recommendation information about a broadcasting program; comparing a time of confirming the recommendation information and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information; and supplying a function of the broadcasting receiving apparatus for using the recommendation information to correspond to a comparison result.

The time of confirming the recommendation information may include a time of confirming at least one of the recommended programs included in the recommendation information.

The supplying the function of the broadcasting receiving apparatus for using the recommendation information may include generating a user interface (UI) information, and the UI information may include a re-viewing menu if the recommended program is already broadcasted.

The UI information further may include a channel changing menu if the recommended program is currently broadcasted.

The UI information further may include a broadcasting reserving menu if the recommended program is scheduled to be broadcasted. The control method of the broadcasting receiving apparatus may further include processing and displaying an input broadcasting signal, and include the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information with a program guide information included in the broadcasting signal.

The control method of the broadcasting receiving apparatus may further include performing a user authentication, wherein the time of confirming the recommendation information may include a time at which the user authentication is completed.

The receiving the recommendation information may include receiving the recommendation information through a communication network. Another aspect of the present invention may be achieved by providing a broadcasting receiving apparatus, including: an image processing unit which processes an input broadcasting signal; a communicating unit which receives a recommendation information about a broadcasting program; and a control unit which compares a time of confirming the recommendation information and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information, and controls the image processing unit and the communicating unit to supply a function for using the recommendation information to correspond to a comparison result.

The control unit may determine a time of confirming the recommendation information as a time of confirming at least one of the recommended programs included in the recommendation information.

The broadcasting receiving apparatus may further include a user interface (UI) generating unit generating a UI information to supply a function for using the recommendation information, wherein the UI information may include a re-viewing menu if the recommended program is already broadcasted.

The UI information may further include a channel changing menu if the recommended program is currently broadcasted.

The UI information may further include a broadcasting reserving menu if the recommended program is scheduled to be broadcasted. The broadcasting signal input to the image processing unit may include a program guide information, and the control unit may compare the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information with the program guide information included in the broadcasting signal.

The broadcasting receiving apparatus may further include a user input unit for a user authentication, wherein the control unit may determine the time of confirming the recommendation information as a time at which the user authentication is completed.

The communicating unit may receive the recommendation information through a communication network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of a broadcasting receiving apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates recommendation information received to the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate a user interface (UI) information which supplies a function for using a recommendation information received to the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a control flowchart of the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below so as to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. Repetitive description with respect to like elements of different exemplary embodiments may be omitted for the convenience of clarity.

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of a broadcasting receiving apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 illustrates a recommendation information received at the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate a user interface (UI) information which supplies a function for using recommendation information received at the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown therein, a broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an image processing unit 20 which processes an input broadcasting signal, a communicating unit 50 which receives recommendation information 80 about at least one broadcasting program, and a control unit 40 which controls the image processing unit 20 and the communicating unit 50 to supply a function for using the received recommendation information 80. The broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment may be implemented as a digital TV, a set top box, a desk top computer, a notebook computer, a mobile terminal, a personal digital assistant (PAD), a plasma display panel (PDP) apparatus, etc. Also, the broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment may be configured to be connected to a communication network such as an internet, etc., to enable a two way communication. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication network may enable two way communications between two users or between a user and a server. Hereinafter, the broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 will exemplarily described to have a tuner 10 receiving a broadcasting signal, and a display unit 30 displaying an image signal processed by the image processing unit 20.

The image processing unit 20 processes a broadcasting signal received from the tuner 10 or an image signal received from an external image device (not shown) such as a digital versatile disk (DVD) to be displayed in a display unit 30. That is, the image processing unit 20 performs, based on a control of the control unit 40, an analogue to digital (A/D) converting function for converting an image signal of various formats to a digital image signal of a uniform format, a digital decoding function, a scaling function receiving a digital image signal and/or an analogue image signal to adjust a vertical frequency, resolution, a screen ratio, etc., to be appropriate to an output standard of the display unit 30, and a predetermined format converting function. Also, the image processing unit 20 may process various image signals which may be received through the communicating unit 50. For example, a program guide information may be included in a broadcasting signal input to the image processing unit 20.

The display unit 30 displays an image processed by the image processing unit 20 and a user interface (UI) information 90. The display unit 30 may be implemented as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel including a liquid crystal, a organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel including an organic light emitting element, a plasma display panel (PDP), etc.

The communicating unit 50 receives the recommendation information 80 from an outside depending on a control of the control unit 40. For example, the communicating unit 50 may be connected to a communication network such as an internet to receive the recommendation information 80 from other connecting users, or may be configured to enable a two way communication to transmit the recommendation information 80 to other connecting users. Also, the communicating unit 50 may be connected to the communication network to transmit and receive information about various contents as well as the recommendation information 80. For example, a name of a recommended program and a broadcasting time of the recommended program are included in the recommendation information 80 received through the communicating unit 50, and one or a plurality of recommended programs may be included. In addition, various information such as a recommender, a recommendatory time, a memo of the recommender, etc., may be included, each of which corresponds to the recommendation information 80 sent by a recommender to the broadcasting receiving apparatus 1.

The control unit 40 compares a point of time of confirming the recommendation information 80 received through the communicating unit 50 and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80, and the control unit 40 supplies a function to a UI generating unit 60 for using the recommendation information corresponding to a result of the comparison. For example, the point of time may be a point of time at which at least one of the recommended programs corresponding to the recommendation information 80 is confirmed. However, the point of time of confirming the recommendation information 80 is not limited thereto, and may be a point of time at which the user completes a user authentication through a user input unit 70.

If a program guide information is included in a broadcasting signal input to the image processing unit 20, the control unit 40 may compare a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 with the program guide information included in the received broadcasting signal. Accordingly, if the recommendation information 80 recommended from a recommender is received and confirmed after a predetermined time elapses, the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 may be different from the program guide information included in the received broadcasting signal, and the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 can be corrected with respect to the program guide information if the broadcasting time is different.

The broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 may further include the user input unit 70. The user input unit 70 outputs various control signals to change a broadcasting channel or control the UI information 90 displayed in the display unit 30 by an operation of a user. The user input unit 70 may be implemented as separate short key or touch pad for selecting these functions, or may be provided a remote control device remotely communicating with display unit 30. The short key or the touch pad may be formed to an outer frame of the display unit 30, and the touch pad may be implemented as a touch panel on the display unit 30. Also, the user input unit 70 may be implemented as a typical input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse. For example, the user input unit 70 may be provided to input information such as an ID and a password of a user to allow the user authentication depending on a control of the control unit 40. Accordingly, the user can receive the recommendation information 80 transmitted to the user after the user confirms that he or she is the intended user for receipt of the recommendation information 80 through the user authentication capable of distinguishing other users connected to the communication network.

The broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment may further include a UI generating unit 60. The UI generating unit 60 may generate various UI information, and display the generated UI information, from among the various UI information, in the display unit 30 depending on a control of the control unit 40. For example, the UI generating unit 60 may generate the UI information 90 to supply a function selected from various functions for using the received recommendation information 80.

For example, the UI information 90 may be configured to be generated if a user selects and confirms at least one recommended program included in the recommendation information 80. Also, the UI information 90 is exemplarily described to be configured to be generated by each selected recommended program, but a plurality of recommended programs may be configured to be displayed in a single UI information 90.

The UI information 90 includes a re-viewing menu 93 as shown in FIG. 3 if, as determined by the control unit 40, a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 has already been broadcasted. The UI information 90 includes a channel changing menu 95 as shown in FIG. 4 if, as determined by the control unit 40, the recommended program is currently being broadcasted. The UI information 90 includes a broadcasting reserving menu 97 as shown in FIG. 5 if, as determined by the control unit 40, the recommended program is scheduled to be broadcasted at a later point in time. Thus, the control unit 40 determines a comparison result by comparing a point of time of confirming the recommendation information 80 received through the communicating unit 50 and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80, and the UI generating unit 60 generates one of various menus to display on the display unit 30 based on the comparison result. Also, the UI information 90 may further include an image 91 of a recommended program, a name 92 of a recommended program and an operating button 94 as shown in FIG. 3. The operating button 94 may include a deleting button for deleting the UI information 90, a broadcasting viewing button for viewing a program currently broadcasted, and a returning button for returning to a prior function. However, the UI information 90 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3. Alternatively, at least a part of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 may be omitted, or other functions may be added.

Accordingly, a user can conveniently view a recommended program both if the recommendation information 80 recommended from a recommender is received and confirmed after a predetermined time elapses, and if the recommendation information 80 recommended from a recommender is directly received and confirmed. That is, if the user is currently operating the display unit 30 and the user directly receives and confirms the recommendation information 80 recommended from the recommender, a point of time at which the user confirms the recommendation information 80 is almost the same as a point of time at which the recommender transmits the recommendation information 80. Accordingly, if the recommender recommends a broadcasting program which is currently broadcasted or scheduled to be broadcasted, since the recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 which the user receives is also currently broadcasted or scheduled to be broadcasted, it is sufficient to intactly display the information in the UI information 90. However, if the recommendation information 80 recommended from the recommender is received and confirmed after some predetermined time elapses, the point of time at which the user confirms the recommendation information 80 is different from the point of time at which the recommender recommends the recommendation information 80. Accordingly, since it is possible that the recommended program included in the recommended program 80 which the user receives has already been completely broadcasted, the time confirming the recommendation information 80 and the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 are compared, and the function using the recommendation information 80 is supplied to correspond to a result thereof, thereby improving a user convenience.

With this configuration, a control method of the broadcasting receiving apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described by referring to FIG. 6.

First, the recommendation information 80 about a broadcasting program is received (operation S1). In this case, for example, the recommendation information 80 is received through the communicating unit 50 connected with the communication network, and a user may receive the recommendation information 80 transmitted to the user through a user authentication.

Then, a point of time at which the recommendation information 80 is confirmed and a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 are compared (operation S3). In this case, the control unit 40 may determine the point of time at which the recommendation information 80 is confirmed as a point of time at which at least one of the recommended programs included in the recommendation information 80 is confirmed, or as a point of time at which the user authentication is completed.

Then, a function of the broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 for using the recommendation information 80 is supplied to a display unit 30 to correspond to a result of the comparison. In this case, the UI generating unit 60 may generate the UI information 90 depending on a control of the control unit 40. Also, the UI generating unit 60 determines whether the recommended program has already been broadcasted or not (operation S5), and generates the UI information 90 including the re-viewing menu 93 if the recommended program has already been broadcasted (operation S7). Also, the UI generating unit 60 determines whether the recommended program is currently being broadcasted or not (operation S9), and generates the UI information 90 including the channel changing menu 95 if the recommended program is currently being broadcasted (operation S11). Also, the UI generating unit 60 generates the UI information 90 including the broadcasting reserving menu 97 if the recommended program has not been broadcasted and is not currently being broadcasted (operation S13). Also, the control unit 40 may further include comparing a broadcasting time of a recommended program included in the recommendation information 80 with a program guide information included in a broadcasting signal.

Accordingly, the broadcasting receiving apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment compares the point of time of confirming the recommendation information 80 and the broadcasting time of the recommended program included in the recommendation information 80, and supplies the function conveniently using the recommendation information 80 to correspond to the result thereof if the user receives and confirms the recommendation information 80 recommended from the recommender after a predetermined time elapses, as well as if the user directly receives and confirms the recommendation information 80 recommended by the recommender, thereby improving a user convenience.

Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A broadcasting signal receiving apparatus, comprising: a display; an image processor configured to process the broadcasting signal; and a controller configured to control the display to display a list including a plurality of recommended broadcasting programs, and in response to an input for selecting a recommended broadcasting program of the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs from the displayed list, if the selected recommended broadcasting program among the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs is being broadcasted, configured to display a menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program without displaying a menu item for reserving the selected recommended broadcasting program and if the selected recommended broadcasting program among the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs is scheduled to be broadcasted at a later time, configured to display the menu item for reserving the selected recommended broadcasting program without displaying the menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program, wherein the controller is configured to change a channel to a channel corresponding to the selected recommended broadcasting program in response to the menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program being selected.
 2. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input for selecting one of the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs from the displayed list is made by a user.
 3. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the selected recommended broadcasting program among the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs is already broadcasted, the displayed menu item is a menu item for executing a re-viewing function for review of the selected recommended broadcasting program.
 4. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to compare a broadcasting time of the selected recommended broadcasting program with a time when the input is received.
 5. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communicator connected to a communications network to transmit and receive information about various contents and the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs.
 6. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the communicator is configured to transmit recommendation information to other external apparatuses which are connected to the communications network.
 7. A broadcasting signal receiving apparatus, comprising: a display; a communicator configured to communicate with an external apparatus; an image processor configured to process the broadcasting signal; and a controller configured to control the display to display a recommended broadcasting program based on recommendation information received from the external apparatus via the communicator, the recommendation information including a name and a broadcasting time of the recommended broadcasting program, and in response to an input for selecting the recommended broadcasting program displayed on the display, if the selected recommended broadcasting program is being broadcasted, configured to display a menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program without displaying a menu item for reserving the selected recommended broadcasting program and if the selected recommended broadcasting program among the plurality of recommended broadcasting programs is scheduled to be broadcasted at a later time, configured to display the menu item for reserving the selected recommended broadcasting program without displaying the menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the selected recommended broadcasting program is being broadcasted or is scheduled to be broadcasted at a later time using the broadcasting time included in the recommendation information, and to change a channel to a channel corresponding to the selected recommended broadcasting program in response to the menu item for watching the selected recommended broadcasting program being selected.
 8. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the input for selecting the recommended broadcasting program is made by a user.
 9. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, if the selected recommended broadcasting program is already broadcasted, the displayed menu item is a menu item for executing a re-viewing function for review of the selected recommended broadcasting program.
 10. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to compare the broadcasting time of the selected recommended broadcasting program included in the recommendation information with a time when the input is received.
 11. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communicator is connected to a communications network to transmit and receive information about various contents and the recommendation information.
 12. The broadcasting signal receiving apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the communicator is configured to transmit the recommendation information to other external apparatuses which are connected to the communications network. 